There was a time when childhood unfolded slowly. Conversations happened face to face. Curiosity built over years. And ideas about relationships, intimacy, and identity were shaped gradually, through experience, through awkward conversations, and through real life.
Today, that timeline has collapsed. In a matter of seconds, a teenager with a smartphone can access a world that was never designed for them. A world driven by algorithms, by dopamine, by content that doesn’t just reflect reality, but distorts it. And the question we have to ask is this: what happens when an entire generation learns about sex, relationships, and human connection from the internet?
Well, in this episode, I’m joined by Irish educator and researcher Eoghan Cleary, a man working on the front lines of this shift. We delve into the early exposure to pornography among teenagers, the increasingly violent and addictive nature of online content, and how social media, and now AI, are actively shaping sexual norms in real time. We talk about regulation, responsibility, and whether society is moving fast enough to protect young people, or if we’re already too late.
Links
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Owen Cleary's Work
01:06 The Impact of Early Exposure to Pornography
03:53 The Nature of Modern Pornography
06:37 The Role of Violence in Pornography
10:47 The Algorithm and Its Effects on Content Consumption
12:44 The Dangers of AI in Content Creation
18:20 Legislative Challenges and Solutions
23:55 The Need for Accountability in the Digital Age
27:25 The Evolution of Sexual Expectations
33:54 Creating Healthy Conversations About Sex
35:37 The Impact of Pornography on Youth
38:31 Navigating Parental Conversations about Sex
41:04 Normalizing Discussions Around Sexuality
44:41 The Role of Social Media in Sexual Development
51:06 The Effects of Social Media on Attention and Behavior
56:14 The Need for Boredom and Creativity in Youth